Dare Babalola
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging over their roles in the deadly attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed dozens of lives during a worship service on June 5, 2022.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite found Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris guilty of terrorism-related offences brought against them by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.
The judge ruled that the prosecution successfully proved its case against the four defendants beyond reasonable doubt and established their direct involvement in the attack that left more than 40 worshippers dead and over 100 others injured.
However, the court cleared the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, after concluding that the evidence presented during the trial was insufficient to connect him to the crime. He was subsequently discharged and acquitted of all charges.
According to the court, the convicted men were key members of an Al-Shabaab-linked terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and participated in the planning and execution of the assault on the Catholic church during a Pentecost service.
Evidence before the court showed that the attackers invaded the church while worship was ongoing, trapping congregants and carrying out a violent operation that resulted in widespread casualties and destruction. Prosecutors told the court that the assailants used improvised explosive devices and AK-47 rifles during the attack.
To support its case, the prosecution presented 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits, including confessional statements, digital forensic reports and electronic evidence allegedly recovered during investigations.
Among the materials admitted by the court was a mobile communication device said to contain messages exchanged by members of the terror cell before and after the attack.
A Catholic priest who survived the incident also testified during the trial, recounting how multiple explosive devices were detonated inside the church, causing panic and leading to the deaths and injuries of numerous worshippers.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite held that the combined oral and documentary evidence presented by the prosecution firmly established the culpability of the four convicts and justified their conviction on all terrorism-related counts.
